Glossary

Gene bank 

Establishment intended for the ex situ conservation of individuals (seeds), tissues or reproductive cells of plants or animals.

Biogeography

Scientific study of the geographical distribution of living organs.

Biotechnology

Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify specific-use products or processes.

Patent

Temporary exclusivity right granted by the State for innovative processes or products.

Charge capacity

Maximum number of populations or individuals of a particular species that a given environment can support indefinitely.

Co-management

Sharing of authority, responsibility and benefits between the state and local communities in the management of natural resources.

Community

Integrated group of species occupying a given territory; organisms in a community influence each other in their distribution, abundance and evolution. A human community is a social group of any size whose members reside in a given place.

Conservation

Management of human use of the biosphere in order to obtain the maximum sustainable benefits for present generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations: conservation is therefore a positive concept, including the preservation , maintenance, sustainable use, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment.

Preservation of

biological diversity

Managing human interactions with genes, species and ecosystems to provide maximum benefits to the current generation while maintaining their potentials to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations; includes safeguarding, studying the use of biodiversity.

Ex-situ conservation

The conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural environment.

In-situ conservation

Conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural environment and, in the case of domesticated and cultivated species, in the environment where their distinctive characteristics have developed.

cultivar

Cultivated variety of a domestic plant.

Sustainable development

Development corresponding to the needs and aspirations of the current generation without compromising the ability to meet those of future generations.

Biological diversity

Variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.

Genetic diversity

Variability in the genetic composition of individuals within a species or between species; heritable genetic variability within a population or between populations.

Intellectual property right

Right granting an inventor exclusivity on the market for a given time.

Ecosystem

Dynamic complex formed by communities of plants, animals and micro-organisms and their non-living environment which, through their interaction, form a functional unit.

Ecotourism

Trips undertaken to visit sites or regions with special natural or ecological qualities, or all services facilitating this type of trip.

Endemic

Restricted to a specific region or location.

Species

A group of organisms capable of free reproduction among themselves but not with members of other species.

Native species

Plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms naturally occupying a given area or region.

key species

A species whose disappearance would cause major disturbances to the populations of other species or to ecological processes in an ecosystem.

Domesticated or cultivated species

Any species whose evolutionary process has been influenced by humans to meet their needs.

exotic species

Species appearing in a region located outside its historical natural environment following deliberate or accidental dispersal linked to human activities. Also called introduced species. NdT: The Americans often use alien species where the English speak of exotic species.

Introduced species

Any species transported and released, intentionally or accidentally, by humans into an environment where it was not previously present.

Wildlife

All the animals present in a given region.

Flora

All the plants present in a given region.

Embarrassed

Functional unit of heredity; part of the DNA molecule that codes for a single enzyme or structural protein.

Management of common property resources

Management of a given resource (such as a forest or pasture) by a well-defined group of users with the power to regulate its use by its members or outsiders.

Habitat

Location or type of site where an organism or population occurs naturally.

Introduction

Sample of a variety of plant collected in a place and at a given time; can be of any size.

Genetic material

Material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity.

Population

A group of individuals with common ancestors who are more likely to interbreed with each other than with individuals from another population.

Genetically modified organism

Organism in which the genetic material has been modified by humans using genetic or cellular techniques.

Primary productivity

Transformation of chemical or solar energy into biomass. Most primary production comes from photosynthesis, by which green plants convert solar energy, carbon dioxide and water into glucose and ultimately plant tissue. Additionally, some seabed bacteria convert chemical energy into biomass through chemosynthesis.

Rehabilitation

Restoration of specific ecological functions in a degraded habitat ecosystem.

Biological resources

Biological resources, organisms or parts thereof, populations, or any other biotic component of ecosystems with actual or potential use or value for humans.

Genetic resources

Genetic material of actual or potential value.

Restoration

Return of an ecosystem or environment to its original biological structure, its natural range of species and its natural functions.

Species richness

Number of species in an area (commonly used term to measure species diversity, although it is only one aspect of biodiversity).

Risk

Likelihood of something undesirable happening

Subspecies

Subdivision of a species. Population or series of populations occupying a specific area and genetically different from other subspecies of the same species.

Succession

More or less predictable change in community composition after natural or human-induced disturbance.

Systematic

Study of the evolutionary history and genetic relationships between organisms and their phenotypic similarities and differences.

Taxonomy

Naming and classification of organisms into taxa.

Taxa

Unit of classification named and grouping together individuals or groups of species. We call higher taxa those which are above the level of the species.

Sustainable use

The use of the components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to their long-term depletion, and thus safeguards their potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.

Local variety or breed

A plant variety or animal breed that has evolved and been genetically improved by traditional farmers, but has not been influenced by modern breeding practices.

Protected area

Any geographically bounded area that is designated, or regulated, and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives.

Buffer

Region close to the boundary of a protected area; transition zone between regions managed for different purposes.